Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to extend the child Air Passenger Duty exemption to Premium Economy cabins.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Air Passenger Duty (APD) applies to airlines, not individual passengers, and is the principal tax on the aviation sector. It is expected to raise £4.7 billion in 2025-26 and it aims to ensure that airlines make a fair contribution to the public finances, particularly given that tickets are VAT free and aviation fuel incurs no duty. The distance-based band structure ensures that those who travel furthest, and in the greatest comfort, incur a greater tax liability.
Children under 16 years old on the date of the flight, and in the lowest class of travel, are exempt from APD. This means that no APD will be paid on that passenger by the airline to the UK government. If children under 16 years old are travelling in any other class (such as premium economy) or in business jets, they are not exempt. Children under 2 years old without a seat are exempt from Air Passenger Duty for all classes of travel.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the fiscal cost of Benefit-in-Kind rates for zero-emission company cars, including (a) the cost of the 3 per cent rate in 2025–26, (b) the revenue forgone when the rate was 0 per cent and 2 per cent, and (c) any comparable figures for plug-in hybrid and ultra-low-emission vehicles.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government publishes annual statistics on HMRC’s taxable benefits in kind for company cars. These reports document the number of benefit in kind recipients, the CO2 emissions of company cars and their total taxable value. The latest statistics for the tax year 2023-24 were published in June 2025, and are accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefits-in-kind-statistics-june-2025/benefit-in-kind-statistics-commentary-june-2025(opens in a new tab)
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of Benefit-in-Kind rates for zero-emission company cars.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government publishes annual statistics on HMRC’s taxable benefits in kind for company cars and company car fuel. These reports document the number of benefit in kind recipients, the CO2 emissions of company cars and their total taxable value. The latest statistics for the tax year 2023-24 were published in June 2025, and are accessible here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefits-in-kind-statistics-june-2025/benefit-in-kind-statistics-commentary-june-2025(opens in a new tab)
The Government annually reviews the rates and thresholds of taxes and reliefs to ensure that they are appropriate and reflect the current state of the economy. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the public finances.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of future increases in business rates on the financial sustainability of regional airports and the level of regional air connectivity they are able to provide.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is committed to enabling investment so that airports can play their full role in the growth mission.
Properties seeing large bill increases as a result of the business rates revaluation - including airports - will benefit from a redesigned transitional relief scheme worth £3.2 billion over the next 3 years. Compared to the 2023 transitional relief scheme, the redesigned scheme will provide more generous support for large properties.
The Government has also published a Call for Evidence exploring concerns that airports and a small number of other ratepayers have raised around the ‘Receipts & Expenditure’ valuation methodology and its impacts on long-term, high value investments. Through this call for evidence, we will seek to address issues raised ahead of the 2029 revaluation.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the annual cost to the public purse is of tax reliefs provided through the Cycle to Work scheme.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The annual cost of the relief for the Cycle to Work scheme is available in last year’s publication of non-structural tax reliefs (‘Multiple tax type’ tab). In 2023-24 the estimated cost of the relief was £120m.Non-structural tax reliefs - GOV.UK
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of a weight-based system of vehicle taxation for cars.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Vehicle Excise Duty is a tax on vehicles used or kept on public roads. For certain vehicle classifications, VED liability is partially calculated in accordance with the vehicle’s weight, reflecting the greater road damage caused by heavier vehicles. For example, Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) VED rates are set based on a vehicle’s weight, suspension and trailer.
The Government annually reviews the rates and thresholds of taxes and reliefs to ensure that they are appropriate and reflect the current state of the economy. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the public finances.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 90404 on the Electric Car Grant, what assessment she has made of the value for money of the Electric Car Grant.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Electric Car Grant makes electric vehicles more affordable by cutting the upfront costs of electric vehicles. In doing so, it accelerates the transition to zero-emission driving and has already helped over 35,000 drivers make the switch.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Energy Profits Levy on investment in North Sea oil and gas projects; and whether her Department has estimated the capital investment generated by reforming that levy before 2026.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has carefully considered the potential impacts of the Energy Profits Levy (EPL), including on investment. The Treasury publishes impacts in summary form for tax measures in tax information and impact notes (TIINs) alongside the Finance Bill. The most recent summary of impacts from the EPL can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-profits-levy-reforms-2024.
The Government is clear that the EPL will end in 2030, or earlier if the EPL’s price floor, the Energy Security Investment Mechanism (ESIM), is triggered. While it remains in place, the EPL is forecast to raise around £8.5 billion between 2025/26 and 2030/31, contributing towards funding vital public services. This is in addition to more than £11 billion in tax revenues already raised through the EPL since its introduction in May 2022.
The Government is committed to providing the oil and gas industry with the long-term certainty it needs on the future fiscal landscape and to support capital investment. At Budget 2025, the Government announced the details of the EPL successor regime, the Oil and Gas Price Mechanism. This new regime is designed to respond to future price shocks once the EPL ends, to create a stable, predictable fiscal environment that ensures companies continue to contribute fairly when oil and gas prices are unusually high while supporting investment in the UK’s oil and gas sector.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2025 to Question 85352 on Airports: Business Rates, what the rateable value is for each civil airport in England and Wales.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The VOA published the draft 2026 Rating List valuations on 26 November 2025; the compiled list will come into effect on 1 April 2026.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what consultation her Department has undertaken with vehicle manufacturers and the wider automotive industry on the proposed changes to Employee Car Ownership Schemes, including the number of meetings held since July 2024; and whether the figures used to inform the proposed changes have been independently verified.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Budget 2025, the government announced that, to allow more time for the sector to prepare for and adapt to the proposed changes in treatment to Employee Car Ownership Schemes (ECOS), its implementation will be delayed to 6 April 2030, with transitional arrangements until April 2032. The tax impact and information notice (TIIN) has been updated to reflect the impact of the changes on the automotive industry. You can find the TIIN here:
The government maintains regular engagement with vehicle manufacturers and the wider automotive industry. The costing has been certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility.